I read a lot of science; physics, cosmology, evolutionary theory. I think deep down, I do this because I’m still looking for a proof of God. And there are none. Science, of all the forms of knowing, can’t provide us with such a proof. It’s not interested in doing so. Science isn’t interested in any way of knowing outside of the experimental method, and God is notoriously beyond proof through research. So science can’t provide us with the answer.
There are theologians who claim they can prove God, but ultimately, the agnostics are probably the most intellectually honest of the three groups: believers, atheists, and agnostics. The Eastern traditions – Buddhism and Daoism in particular – wisely sidestep the argument about whether there is a God.
The closest we can come is to prove that the universe has evolved intelligent life which can contemplate the cosmos itself because otherwise, no one would be there to see it. It’s called the Anthropic Principle, and it has various forms. I find it to be a rather circular argument. I find the science and philosophy behind the Anthropic Principle to be somewhat convoluted.
People will tie themselves into knots trying to prove or disprove God. Ultimately, what you conclude in this regard comes down to belief. To believe in God, you must assume certain ‘facts’ to be true. We are left to fall back on belief. We may believe in a Higher Power because we intuit it. Intuition is knowing something without knowing why we know it. We know something without being to prove how.
This isn’t a post about trying to convince anyone about the existence of God, which in reality is just the total of all things we don’t know. God is simply the undiscoverable, the unknowable. It’s the sum of all mystery. It’s the unknown. There’s no proving what we don’t know.
What I do know is this: the undeniable fact there is something rather than nothing; that there is intelligence; that there is awareness; and that there is love. Aren’t these miraculous enough? And aren’t they present in our lives without argument? Without even arguing for or against the existence of a Higher Power, the facts of life, of evolution, of awareness, and of love are irrefutable and undeniable. They simply are.
If I acknowledge the miraculous fact of life, and of its evolution on earth, and of its progression into creatures who can be aware and self-ware and who can love, I need go no further. if I believe in the transformative power of love, I don’t have to prove anything. Love proves itself. The truth is self-authenticating, and that’s how we recognize it as the truth. Deep down in ourselves, we know what’s real. We can feel it, and in our hearts we know that what powers everything in the world isn’t money or power or force, for all these fade away. Only what we give from love survives, if nowhere else but in the memory of the one who receives it. What comes from the heart reaches the heart.
I believe in the power of life, of awareness, and especially of love. These are true. They’re real, and you can tell they are by how they make you feel. A walk in the woods, a climb up the mountain. These show us the power of life and of the earth itself. When I hold a newborn child, I’m drawn to the power of life. When I give to someone who can’t or won’t give back, I become aware that love is the only unconditioned reality, because my gift is unconditional.
There’s much seeming evidence to the contrary. But I get what I concentrate on. All of life is a simple prayer of attention. All of it a meditation. Life serves up the evidence of my own belief. If you need to have faith in something and can find no comfort in your belief, then have faith in your own awareness. Trust in the power of love, which either transforms an enemy into a friend, or chases away his fear away, leaving you with an undeniable peace and sense of well-being that overcomes all evidence which seeks to turn our eyes toward fear.
There is something rather than nothing. Could it be that nothing dreams of something? It’s impossible, for awareness proves its own existence. This fundamental fact cannot be denied. Trust in that, if in nothing else. And trust that in the end, awareness evolves into love. You can’t prove love. You can only show it, feel it, and experience it with every atom of who you are.
© 2022 by Michael C. Just
You can purchase the book through this website. Or go straight to amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+dirt+journey+of+a+mystic+cowboy&crid=1S40Q4BXSUWJ6&sprefix=the+dirt%3A+journey+of+a+m%2Caps%2C180&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_23
Mike’s other titles, including The Crippy, The Mind Altar, and Canyon Calls, are available through this website or through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002
Four of his short stories have recently been published online:
Lies, Ltd. has been published by The Mystery Tribune @ Lies, Ltd.: Literary Short Fiction by Michael C. Just (mysterytribune.com)
The Obligate Carnivore has been published by the Scarlet Leaf Review @ Category: MICHAEL JUST – SCARLET LEAF REVIEW
I See You, Too has been published by the 96th of October @ I See You, Too – 96th of October
Offload, a short story about a man who can heal any disease, is now live and can be read at The Worlds Within at Offload – The Worlds Within